Posted on 08/02/2003 5:01:12 AM PDT by ninonitti
Bluntly telling the Vatican to stay out of American politics, U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry yesterday said Pope John Paul II ``crossed the line'' by instructing pols to block legalization of gay marriage.
A fuming Kerry, taking on his own Catholic Church in the midst of a campaign for president, said Rome should have more respect for America's long-held separation of church and state.
``It is important not to have the church instructing politicians. That is an inappropriate crossing of the line in this country,'' Kerry said. ``President Kennedy drew that line very clearly in 1960 and I believe we need to stand up for that line today.''
The Democrat said political concerns are secondary to his moral outrage over Thursday's Vatican statement on gay marriage.
``Our founding fathers separated church and state in America. It is an important separation,'' he said. ``It is part of what makes America different and special, and we need to honor that as we go forward and I'm going to fight to do that.''
Catholics were stunned at the broadside from Kerry, saying he's sure to draw the ire of some 65 million voting Catholics.
``What one often calls separation of church and state guarantees the religion the right to express its convictions,'' said Monsignor Francis Maniscalco of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. ``To object to religious people's deep moral convictions . . . would also create a problem because it would also (fail to) recognize something the First Amendment guarantees.''
Former Vatican Ambassador Raymond Flynn said Kerry was just wrong. ``I don't see it as crossing any line at all,'' Flynn said. ``Too many Catholic politicians want to have it both ways, they want the Catholic vote but then they go ahead and ignore Catholic teaching.''
The Vatican injected itself into the simmering gay marriage debate Thursday, firing off a letter issuing instructions to Catholic politicians to oppose any legalization efforts.
``The Catholic lawmaker has a moral duty to express his opposition (to gay marriage laws) clearly and publicly and to vote against it,'' the directive read. ``To vote in favor of a law so harmful to the common good is gravely immoral.''
The statement followed by a day strong comments from President Bush denouncing gay marriage proposals.
Kerry, who supports civil unions but opposes the legalization of same-sex marriage, took pains to say, ``I believe in the church'' and ``care about it enormously'' but said church leaders went too far.
Alone among Democrats in criticizing the church, Kerry said he didn't weigh the political impact of his statement.
``This isn't a matter of political calculation, it's simply a matter of strong personal beliefs,'' Kerry said.
The Democratic senator also railed against Republicans who this week said Democratic efforts to block the judicial nomination of Alabama Attorney General William H. Pryor were anti-Catholic. One group, the Ave Maria List, ran print ads equating Democrats' opposition to Pryor as saying ``Catholics need not apply'' to the federal judiciary.
``That couldn't be further from the truth. This judge is not a good judge,'' Kerry said. ``He should not be appointed to the court, and many of us who are Catholic voted against him without regard to Catholicism.''
Kerry also continued his criticism of Bush's ``faith-based'' programs, saying he would end government funding to any religious group.
The White House and Kerry's opponents declined comment.
But the Republican National Committee blamed the sudden attack on the growing popularity of Kerry opponent, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean.
``It seems like a very odd political strategy to attack the Catholic Church but Howard Dean is forcing Sen. Kerry to take a number of odd positions on a number of odd issues,'' said RNC spokeswoman Christine Iverson.
Seems to be working just fine. Anytime he can make that raging drunk Ray Flynn seem like a rational man you have to say what is he thinking?
Well, that certainly is an unusual way of phrasing it.
"His moral outrage"? What system of "morality" is Senator Kerry a subscriber to, that is "outraged" by the Catholic Church teaching Catholics what being Catholic means? Does Kerry pretend to be Catholic himself?
Is he "outraged" when the rabbi in charge of kosher certification for Boston tells Stop 'n Shop they can't sell ham and label it kosher?
Is he "outraged" when the Islamic Center calls the faithful to prayer five times a day?
Is he "outraged" when the Episcopal Bishop of Massachusetts tells a congregation they must accept a female bishop, or leave their building?
I would say the Senator has some "issues" with Catholicism that he needs to work through here.
In any case, what "morality" is Pope JP2 a subscriber to? He said gay relationships are "evil," which is a word he refused to use to describe Saddam Hussein.
If you think consensual sodomy is worse than systematic mass murder/rape/torture, you aren't a very "moral" person IMO.
One of his other strong personal beliefs is that he absolutely hates the US military yet in front of every camera or crowd he goes on sickeningly about being a 'Nam Vet (but he usually doesnt mention his phony throwing away of his medals after the war). This guy is a victim of way too much mental masturbation about himself....
There is definitely a double-standard here. When the Pope is with Kerry, he's a great moral authority. When he's against Kerry, he's a foreign meddler in domestic politics. It looks like the Democrats are in a contest to outdo each other in saying stupid things (but I think Joe Lieberman wins handily with the Supreme Court Justice Kweise Mfume remark...)
``It is important not to have the church instructing politicians. That is an inappropriate crossing of the line in this country,'' Kerry said.
``Our founding fathers separated church and state in America. It is an important separation,'' he said. ``It is part of what makes America different and special, and we need to honor that as we go forward and I'm going to fight to do that.''
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the FOUNDING FATHERS UNLEASHED |
Our Constitution provides the legitimate foundations of this country as a free nation that is of the people and by the people but, we must read beyond it words and read it's authors words and thoughts in order to understand the warnings they have sent through generations to it's application in todays world. | |
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warning... "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion...Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." warning... "Have you ever found in history, one single example of a Nation thoroughly corrupted that was afterwards restored to virtue?... And without virtue, there can be no political liberty....Will you tell me how to prevent riches from becoming the effects of temperance and industry? Will you tell me how to prevent luxury from producing effeminacy, intoxication, extravagance, vice and folly?..." warning... "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here." "The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed." "Bad men cannot make good citizens. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience are incompatible with freedom." "It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their chains." - Patrick Henry |
The entire argument about sexual behavior is so simple it can be reduced to the following: Should there be any social rules about what sexual activity a human being engages in?
If the answer is no then everyone should just shut up...hetero is okay, cousins are okay, polygamy is okay, bi is okay; gay is okay, 13-year olds are okay, and one or one-hundred-at-a-time are okay, et. al.
However, if a society decides that certain rules about who does whom when and where is functional and perhaps even necessary, all that is left is to decide is WHAT are the rules of sexual behavior and WHO shall make them...simple. Those who follow the 'rules' are then NORMAL and all the rest are PERVERTED or DEVIANT... so very, very simple...you decide.
Sen. John F. Kerry� should study American History and the founders of this nation...he obviously dosn't know it very well...
Van & Katherine Jenerette
Great description!
Former Vatican Ambassador Raymond Flynn said Kerry was just wrong. ``I don't see it as crossing any line at all,'' Flynn said. ``Too many Catholic politicians want to have it both ways, they want the Catholic vote but then they go ahead and ignore Catholic teaching.''
I'm not a Catholic so I'm not sure if I should even have a say, but it seem to me that Kerry is wrong, and Monsignor Maniscalco is correct (not to mention Ambassador Flynn).
If one has religious convictions, those convictions ought to guide one's actions, including voting on morally charged issues such as the definition of marriage or abortion.
It was a "goose bumper".
If you have that speech saved as a file, I should would love to have it!
I didn't know this "catsup-for-brains" socialist, horse-faced imbecile was a Catholic.
He could call himself a Catholic, but he has no business receiving Holy Communion.
The Pope is speaking for millions of us and I thank him because, with my Senators, Hitlery and Scummee, I simply don't have a voice.
I hadn't seen that quote. Incredible isn't it that in the mainstream America of today, that makes Henry a rightwing fundamentalist Christian bigot.. How far we have come....
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